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Seminoles coach says no one to blame in CWS loss

OMAHA, Neb. — Florida State lost another opener at the College World Series, and coach Mike Martin said no one deserved blame.

He gave all credit to Arizona, which won 4-3 Friday night on Johnny Field’s RBI double in the top of the 12th inning.

Joey Rickard had doubled into the left-center gap for the Wildcats’ first hit off Florida State closer Robert Benincasa (4-2), who came on in the ninth. Field followed with his two-base hit to right, driving in Rickard.

The Seminoles have lost four CWS openers in a row since last winning one in 1999.

“It was just a game that they got back-to-back hits,” Martin said. “Benny turns around and gets us out of the inning. Got a one-run ballgame and we got a runner on third. Credit (Mathew) Troupe. He made a couple of good pitches. Unfortunately, that happens every night in our game.”

Troupe (5-1), the Wildcats’ freshman closer, worked the last 2 2-3 innings for the win, striking out Devon Travis to end it with a runner on third.

The Seminoles scored two unearned runs off Arizona starter Kurt Heyer to tie it 3-3 in the sixth but had only three more batters reach base until the 12th.

Arizona (44-17), which has won 14 of 16 games, plays UCLA on Sunday in a meeting of Pac-12 co-champions. The Seminoles (48-16) meet Stony Brook in an elimination game Sunday.

The Seminoles scored a combined 35 runs on 24 hits in a two-game super regional against Stanford last week but found runs much harder to come by against Heyer and two relievers.

Only one of their three runs was earned. When they looked ready to threaten in extra innings, Arizona shut them down.

Travis was caught stealing after reaching base to start the 10th, and Justin Gonzalez was picked off first in the 11th.

Heyer, one week removed from a super-regional win over St. John’s in which he allowed 17 hits over 9 1-3 innings, left after 7 2-3 innings. It was his 12th straight start that he has pitched into the eighth. He allowed three runs, one earned, on six hits and struck out eight.

“Great one to win, tough one to lose,” Arizona coach Andy Lopez said. “In a game like that — two good programs, two good starting pitchers competing like that — it’s a shame somebody has to go home a loser.”

The Seminoles tied it 3-3 in the sixth. Jayce Boyd reached when third baseman Seth Majias-Brean’s throw to first pulled Brandon Dixon off the bag. Heyer struck out Stephen McGee and Gonzalez, then walked Josh Delph before John Holland sent a drive into the left-center gap for a two-run double.

“Definitely a boost to get that hit and put us right back in the game. It was like the whole dugout was rejuvenated,” Holland said. “But like Coach was saying, you just have to tip your hat to them. It was a dogfight tonight and we’re going to come back and be ready to go Sunday.”

Arizona scored twice in the third against Leibrandt to go up 2-0. Rickard singled in a run and, after Gonzalez’s two-out error at short, came home on Robert Refsnyder’s base hit.

Sherman Johnson, who homered in the super regional-clinching win over Stanford, went deep leading off the bottom half to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 2-1.

The Wildcats made it a two-run game in the fifth on another RBI single by Refsnyder.

The teams were playing each other for the first time since 1991 and the first time at the CWS since the 1986 championship game, which Arizona won.